Subway Socceroos’ Head Coach Graham Arnold spoke to the media following naming his 26-man squad to represent Australia at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.
In the press conference, Arnold discussed Victorian midfielder Ajdin Hrustic’s availability following an ankle scare and the exciting prospect of 18-year-old Shepparton product Garang Kuol making the squad.
26-year-old Ajdin Hrustic had Australian football fans holding their breath when he suffered an ankle injury in Hellas Verona’s 2-1 loss to AC Milan in Serie A on October 16. However, Arnold told the media there was no uncertainty over the playmakers' spot on the plane to Qatar.
“Ajdin is fit he's ready to go. I expect in this week coming, he'll get some game time at (Hellas) Verona,” he said.
“These two (Ajdin Hrustic and Martin Boyle) players are players that I've had right through the whole campaign, have made a lot of sacrifices during the whole campaign, but also they bring that X factor on the field.”
Having only made his Socceroos debut off the bench in a friendly against New Zealand in September and still awaiting his first senior team start, Arnold stressed the young forward just “needs to be himself”.
“I think he has excited Australia, he showed it against Barcelona,” Arnold said in the press conference.
He has shown it for me against New Zealand in those moments, the way he can in a one v one action, change the game.
“It will be like backyard football where I say go out and enjoy yourself son and go and show us what you can do, show the world what you can do”
“That will be the message to him because that’s his strength, I am not going to send him out there to play to his weaknesses, it is about playing to his strengths and about doing Australia proud.”
Arnold explained it was Kuol’s game-changing ability that helped gain him selection in the squad.
“Shouldn't this be the most exciting moment, you know, like an 18-year-old kid that's just come out of nowhere and is on a new journey in life,” he said.
“We've seen these types of things happen many times before at World Cups and massive games where players who are unknown, come out and shock the whole of the country and Garang has shown at the Mariners how he can change a game.
“He fit into the Socceroo family so well. And really a player that has absolutely zero fear, he just goes out and he wants to entertain. And he did that against New Zealand.
And he's shown right from the start of the A-League this season that he's a player that can change a game. So when we talk about an impact player, a player that can do something different for us, someone that can have a one v one individual action and change a moment of a game, I think Garang Kuol is that one.”